Chapter 117: Swapping the Beam for a Raft
Ruan Yu had been given the cold shoulder, but she had expected as much. Rui Shu had also told her that Teng Yi wouldn’t open up so quickly—though he had carried her in his heart for the past six years, that same heart was barricaded by suffering. It would take time and patience to break through. Of course, Ruan Yu wasn’t about to give up so easily. She thought to herself: In the past, it was always him who treated me well. From now on, it’s my turn to treat him well.
Once she had made up her mind, Ruan Yu seized every opportunity to hover around Teng Yi—sometimes at the Teng residence, sometimes at the bar. Though he remained cold and distant, it didn’t stop her from chatting away. Being a host had its perks; she was an expert at carrying a conversation single-handedly. She talked to him about everything—from trivial observations on her way over, the day’s weather, and office gossip, to major national policies and their impact on ordinary people. Whatever came to mind, she shared.
Teng Yi seemed indifferent, but in truth, he listened carefully.
Once, while recounting a news story, Ruan Yu accidentally misquoted a statistic, and he immediately corrected her.
“Huh? So you watch the news every day too?” Ruan Yu asked.
Teng Yi didn’t answer.
He had never actually watched the news before. But lately, with her constantly chattering in his ear, he had secretly started tuning in, hoping to find some common ground with her. Who knew that the first thing he’d catch was her mistake?
After realizing that her slip-ups could provoke a response from him, Ruan Yu began deliberately making errors every now and then during their conversations. At first, Teng Yi would correct her, but once he caught onto her little game, he stopped indulging her.
“It’s fine if Host Ruan misspeaks in front of me, but if you make a mistake on camera, the consequences could be serious,” he warned her.
“Why is it fine if I misspeak in front of you?”
“……”
Her knack for zeroing in on the wrong thing left him speechless, and he stopped engaging with her altogether.
But Ruan Yu wasn’t fazed by his silence. After all, she still had Teng Hao and Rui Shu as her allies.
With their help, she mustered the courage to secretly replace all the alcohol in Teng Yi’s fridge with juice and swapped every cigarette in his pack with candy.
At first, Teng Yi was none the wiser—until the next morning, when he opened the fridge for a drink and found it neatly stocked with rows of juice. He froze.
There was no need to guess who was behind this.
Suppressing his irritation, he reached for a cigarette to calm his nerves. But when he opened the pack— ha —another “surprise” awaited him. Inside were several pieces of candy. Perhaps worried he wouldn’t like strawberry flavor, she had thoughtfully included a variety of others.
This woman—barging into his life and pulling off this ridiculous switcheroo—was absolutely unbelievable!
Fuming, Teng Yi stormed downstairs, where Ruan Yu, Teng Hao, and Rui Shu were gathered around the table, laughing and enjoying breakfast together.
Lately, the three of them had been conspiring like some secretive cult, always huddled together as if plotting something grand. Little did he know their schemes were this childish.
Spotting Teng Yi, Teng Hao waved him over. “Bro, come have breakfast! The top-scoring lady and sis made it—East-meets-West, super delicious!”
“Not hungry,” Teng Yi said, fixing his brother with a look. “I have somewhere to be. You enjoy it.”
“Where are you going so early?” Teng Hao pressed.
Where else?
To buy cigarettes, of course! Ruan Yu was ruthless—she had hidden every last cigarette in his room. Even if she wanted him to quit smoking, she didn’t have to be so extreme, did she? At least give him a gradual process. After all, his smoking habit wasn’t formed overnight, and quitting wouldn’t happen overnight either.
"Alright, go ahead with your work, but come back early tonight," Teng Hao said.
"Why?"
"You forgot? Today’s your birthday," Ruan Yu chimed in. "Let’s have dinner together tonight."
Teng Yi had assumed Ruan Yu’s "let’s have dinner together" meant the four of them—him, Ruan Yu, Teng Hao, and Rui Shu. But when he returned home that evening, he found only Ruan Yu there.
She was wearing an apron, stir-frying in the kitchen, the aroma of food filling the air.
After returning to the country, neither Teng Yi nor Teng Hao ever cooked. Only Rui Shu occasionally fired up the stove when she visited, but since she lived abroad most of the time, she knew nothing about Chinese cuisine. At best, she could manage a "one-pot stew," which she proudly called braised dishes.
It had been a long time since the house smelled like this.
Teng Yi stood at the kitchen doorway, watching Ruan Yu’s back, and for a moment, it felt like he had returned to the past.
"You’re back!" She turned and saw him, immediately breaking into a bright smile. "Just two more dishes, and we can eat."
"Teng Hao and the others aren’t coming?"
"Teng Hao has a meeting tonight, and Sister Rui Shu has a friend visiting from abroad. They’re both busy, so it’s just the two of us."
Teng Yi didn’t respond.
Whether Teng Hao and Rui Shu were genuinely busy or just didn’t want to be third wheels, he knew the answer.
"If you think it’s too quiet, you can invite some friends over," Ruan Yu said deliberately.
Hearing this, Teng Yi reached for his phone.
"Hey!" she quickly called out. "You’re really going to invite others?"
Teng Yi glanced at her, then unhurriedly tossed his phone onto the counter.
"I was just going to change clothes," he said.
Ruan Yu: "..."
By the time Teng Yi came back downstairs after changing, Ruan Yu had already finished cooking. In the center of the dining table sat something that resembled a cake but wasn’t quite a cake.
"It’s made from sweet potatoes, no eggs added," she said casually.
But that casualness, to him, translated into something deeply touching.
After all these years, she still remembered he couldn’t eat eggs.
The towering walls of defense in Teng Yi’s heart suddenly crumbled a little.
Ruan Yu took out a candle and stuck it into the sweet potato "cake."
"I know you’ve never been one for blowing out candles and making wishes, but I hope from now on, you can live like an ‘ordinary person’—occasionally adding a little ritual to your mundane life, believing in something intangible, believing in the power of wishes. Maybe the wishes you make won’t come true, but the anticipation itself is beautiful." She lit the candle. "Make a wish. If you really can’t think of anything, just wish for health and safety."
Teng Yi thought for a moment, closed his eyes for a few seconds, then blew out the candle.
"Alright, let’s eat," Ruan Yu said with a smile.
"Aren’t you going to ask what I wished for?" Teng Yi asked.
"Wishes don’t come true if you say them out loud."
"Mine only come true if I say them."
Ruan Yu looked at him warily. "What is it?"
"I wish no one would hide my cigarettes and alcohol from now on."
"..."
She glared at him, her expression fierce.
Teng Yi silently took a deep breath.
Well, turns out saying it out loud really did make it not come true.The two began to eat, and Ruan Yu's cooking skills had improved even more than in previous years. Teng Yi, who had been suffering from a poor appetite lately, found himself capable of eating several bowls of rice tonight.
Halfway through the meal, Ruan Yu suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right, the gift! I prepared a gift for you."
Teng Yi stopped her. "No need."
"It's nothing expensive."
Ruan Yu stood up and pulled out a dark red brocade box from her bag. The rectangular box was small but had a substantial feel to it. She pushed it toward Teng Yi.
"Open it. I've had it ready for a long time and always wanted to give it to you."
Hearing this, Teng Yi opened the box.
Inside was an autographed photo of Luo Han, the King of Asian Dance.
Luo Han was Teng Yi's most admired idol. To Teng Yi, Luo Han held the same significance as Lin Hong once did for Ruan Yu.
Obtaining this autographed photo had been much easier for Ruan Yu than Teng Yi's past chase after a car. Given her current profession, she often encountered various celebrities, and thanks to Luo Sheng, she had met Luo Han many times.
Though Luo Han belonged to his father's generation, his love for dancing made his mindset even more open and free-spirited than that of young people. Ruan Yu got along well with him, and the two became unlikely friends despite their age difference.
When she had mentioned Teng Yi to Luo Han, she was surprised to find that Luo Han already knew about him and the events that had happened in his life.
"There's something written on the back," Ruan Yu said, pointing at the photo.
Teng Yi turned it over.
On the back, Luo Han had handwritten: "Teng Yi, battle-with-fate!"
Late at night, Teng Yi sat in his study.
Beside him were a glass of red wine and the photo—the gift from Ruan Yu. The wine had also been given by her.
Before she left earlier, she had somehow pulled out a bottle of red wine like magic, saying that in honor of his birthday, she would grant his wish and allow him to drink just this once.
What a magnificent privilege.
Teng Yi stared at the meaningful photo for a long, long time without moving.
He knew she had truly put her heart into this.
Recently, she had been by his side, spending time with him, teasing him, and doing one thoughtful thing after another. He noticed it all, and though he never said anything, he was deeply moved.
After a while, Teng Yi picked up the wineglass and took a sip.
"Cough!"
He nearly spat it out.
What kind of red wine was this? Why did it taste so strange?
He lifted the glass toward the light, scrutinizing it carefully.
Damn it!
This wasn’t red wine at all—it was grape juice!
Teng Yi slammed the glass down with a thud and sat still for a long moment before finally unable to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.
Ruan Yu… unbelievable.
He had originally planned to settle this score with her properly, but after their farewell on his birthday, Ruan Yu didn’t visit the Teng household or the bar for several days.
Having grown accustomed to her constant chatter, her sudden absence made Teng Yi’s recently lightened mood turn gloomy and irritable again.
Teng Hao noticed it too—whether the top scholar was around or not, his brother seemed like two completely different people. When she was there, his demeanor was cold, but his eyes were warm. When she wasn’t, both his demeanor and his gaze turned icy.
At the breakfast table one morning, Teng Hao asked, "Bro, the top scholar went on a business trip to Haicheng these past few days. Didn’t she tell you?"
"She has no obligation to tell me.""Hey, don't be like that. She must have been in a hurry and forgot to tell you. Or maybe she asked her sister to pass on the message, and her sister forgot to mention it."
Teng Yi remained silent.
Both Teng Hao and Rui Shu knew, yet they forgot to tell him. Her memory wasn't that bad.
"Bro, don't overthink it. I've already checked—the top scholar lady has been thinking about you all these years. She doesn't have a boyfriend. That Luo Sheng? He's just a friend."
"..."
"You're not jealous of a friend, are you? What era is this? Can't she have a male friend?"
"Teng Hao, you don't understand."
"How don't I understand?" Teng Hao grew serious. "I can see how much she loves you, and I know how much you love her. Since you truly love each other, you shouldn't miss this chance."
Teng Yi suddenly looked up at Teng Hao.
"Have you ever said that to yourself?"
Teng Hao's mood shifted, and he instantly fell silent.
"Bro, it's because I've tasted the bitterness of missing out that I don't want you to go through the same."
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